Holmwood, C'bar the talk of Queens Track Meet

HOLMWOOD Technical's girls and Calabar High School's boys continued their build-up to March's ISSA GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs) with great all-round performances at Saturday's Queen's Grace Jackson Meet inside the National Stadium.

Holmwood has been the most dominant female team at Champs since 2000, but they have seen their form dip over the past four years. The resurgent Holmwood girls have been having great performances at the various weekly development meets, and last Saturday was no different as their march to reclaim the crown continued.

Undoubtedly, their best performance came in the girls' Class One 200m as national junior representative Michae Harriott was impressive in winning the half-lap event in a record 23.49 seconds, running in a negative wind of 2.5m per second. She erased the old mark of 23.80 seconds, set in 2003 by former St Jago High standout, Kerron Stewart. St Jago High's T-Anna Dawkins, formerly of Vere Technical, was second in 24.16 seconds as The Queen's School's, Dazsay Freeman, formerly of Manchester High, was third in 24.21 seconds.

Holmwood dominated the 400 metres, making a clean sweep in all three classes. It was 1-2 for them in Class Three as Rickiann Russell won in 56.02 seconds, ahead of teammate Toriann Noad, 56.16 seconds, with St Jago's Brianna Lyston coming in third in 57.83 seconds.

The very outstanding Lyston clocked a fast 24.59 seconds to win the 200m.

STANDOUT PERFORMER

Anthony Carpenter was the standout for Calabar, where the Red Hills Road team sent another strong message to all those having ambitions of dethroning them at Champs this year.

Carpenter led another strong Class One showing from his team by taking the double in record times. In his first step on the track, he stopped the clock at 47.45 seconds, erasing his former teammate Colin Sewell's 2016 record of 47.58 seconds. His teammate, Shemar Chambers, formerly of St George's College, was second in 47.46 seconds, with St Jago's Anthony Cox, the IAAF World Under-18 finalist, coming in third in 47.51 seconds.

Carpenter's second record came in the 200m, after winning in 21.19 seconds, running in a negative wind of 3.8m per second, in erasing the old mark of 21.20 seconds, set by Nesta Carter in 2005.

Calabar had two other wins in the 400m as Garth Henry (52.14 seconds) won in Class Three, ahead of Kingston College's Tyreese Williams, who clocked 53.00 seconds. Evaldo Whitehorse clocked a record 48.53 seconds to win in Class Two, ahead of Kingston College's Shanthamoi Brown, second in 49.42 seconds, with St Georges College's Kalonji Grant third in 49.56 seconds.